Fixing Gap in Rifle Stock Barrel Channel

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Evening folks,
I'm rebuilding an old Mauser 98 sporter and am unsure of how to resolve an issue with the stock. It appears this stock was originally made for a barrel with one more step (look up "stepped military barrels" if you don't know what I'm talking about), like the original Mauser military barrels, so with this barrel there is too big a gap (pictured) in part of the channel. I will be bedding the action so one option is to fill the extra gap with bedding compound but I think it would look nicer if I could fill that gap with walnut to basically make it disappear. I've fixed cracks before using the common method of mixing wood glue and sawdust so I'm hoping I can do the same here. Issue is I'll be staining the stock then using a tung oil finish, so I worry that the glue/sawdust mixture won't take stain or finish well and will stick out like a sore thumb. It still might be better than bedding compound which I know will stick out like a sore thumb, though. Thoughts?

[Scott Hearn]

I'd use a very dark grey or black epoxy. And I don't think it will look as bad as you think. Fill it up and use a sanding block to take it down flush with the top edge. A nice even blend will look professional and not terrible. Good luck.

[Lee Schierer]

Make some thin pieces of walnut that will fill the gaps and glue them in place with woodworker III glue. Clamp them in place to minimize the glue line and carefully sand to get the proper fit around the barrel. If you prep the area and the strips properly the glue line will be all but invisible and will not be affected by your stain or finish. You should still be able to do your bedding below the strips.

[Don Wurscher]

Couple of things that need to be checked prior to doing anything. 1. is the barrel free-flowing, if it is, you should be able to run a dollar bill from the breech to the tip of the stock. 2. If it is not, there should be contact only at the tip end with a slight upward
pressure only. The reason for mentioning these things is that any pressure on the barrel will have an effect on accuracy this is especially true as the barrel heats up either from fireing or ambient temp. Check with Brownells in Montezuma IA, I am sure they
have a walnut colored exopy bedding material.

[Wes Ramsey]

I've never messed with Mausers, but that gap may be there for attaching the upper barrel shroud. I would use Acraglas Gel and mix in the included brown stain. The finished product has a color similar to walnut and doesn't stand out as much as you'd think - probably less than a patch job. If you're floating the barrel I'd probably use 2 layers of wax paper between the barrel and stock up to the front barrel lug and fill the gap with gel. I think it gives the barrel channel a more uniform look and adds a moisture barrier in a place that normally gets overlooked when finishing. You can sand down the edge so it isn't as visible when assembled or leave the thin line all the way to the end of the forearm.

[Ryan Borst]

It is not a good thing to have the barrel fixed to the stock. If I were you, I would leave it alone.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Make some thin pieces of walnut that will fill the gaps and glue them in place with woodworker III glue. Clamp them in place to minimize the glue line and carefully sand to get the proper fit around the barrel. If you prep the area and the strips properly the glue line will be all but invisible and will not be affected by your stain or finish. You should still be able to do your bedding below the strips.

Aha, that's the type of solution I was hoping would work. The thin pieces used to fill the gap will be small enough that even if they don't stain and finish exactly the same as the rest it will at least look better than that ridiculous gap.

As for the purpose of the extra gap, it isn't for a barrel shroud. The stock was originally inletted for use with an original military stepped barrel, which has one more step than the barrel that is currently on the rifle.

As of now the barrel is free-floating and I will keep it that way initially. If I have any accuracy or consistency issues then I may experiment with upward pressure on the fore end but generally free floating is the best method to achieve the best accuracy. Impossible to say until I put some rounds through the rifle, though.

Thanks for the responses. I'm gonna go with the thin pieces of walnut and see if I can make that work.

[Jim Dwight]

I have both brown and black powder to mix with the epoxy bedding compounds so they match the stock better. I think the brown would look fine on the gap you have.

For those unfamiliar with bedding, you put release compound on the action so the epoxy does not stick to it (brave souls can use clear shoe polish). So the epoxy sticks to the wood, not the metal. Action comes out (occasionally with some force if you miss an area). Sometimes people glue the action in deliberately for competitive shooting. I think they can still get the action out by freezing it but I've never tried. I use the release compound.